The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The establishment of the Office of Equity & Diversity (OED) in 1974 as the Affirmative Action Office was a direct response to significant pieces of legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The first Affirmative Action Coordinator, Dr. Bertha Williams, was appointed to lead the unit. The unit underwent a name change in 1995 and became the Office of Diversity Resources and Educational Services, and in 2000, it was renamed the Office of Equity & Diversity.

Throughout our tenure, OED’s purpose has been to recognize the humanity of well-qualified, historically under-represented individuals and help them access employment opportunities, resources, services, educational and ancillary programs, and university facilities at UTK, UTIA, UT Athletics, UTSI, IPS, UTF, and the UT System.

In collaboration with campus partners, OED is committed to creating a university community where students not only thrive but persist until graduation and successfully enter the workforce, equipped with the Volunteer Creed and the desire to improve the human condition. OED remains steadfast in creating a culture that values employee contributions, no matter how small, and ensures that individuals have access to opportunities that result in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, state, and private funding for the university.